Many were quick to praise Zara for their new “Ungendered” fashion line, but many were also just as quick to criticize it. These critics claim that all clothing is already universal.

They are right.

You, like many, may already consider all clothing Universal. And it is true that you should, and can just wear you want no matter what. So what if traditional gender roles say men can’t wear dresses and women can’t wear suits.

“You, like many, may already consider all clothing Universal.”

But the importance of this new fashion line is that progress is made in making sure everyone is onboard with this idea. On the runway men can be seen sporting dresses, but Jayden Smith still gets questioned on his sexuality for doing the same. Additionally, rarely can a woman be seen in a pantsuit unless it’s for business. Furthermore, in stores rarely do you see clothes marketed towards both men and women. When you do stumble across these occasional garments marketed towards both, you tend to find them labeled under “Unisex”. The problem with this term is that it ignores all of the many labels in-between both sexes themselves and all the people who prefer to not have any label at all.

“On the runway men can be seen sporting dresses, but Jayden Smith still gets questioned on his sexuality for doing the same.”

With all this being said, Zara still has to up their game. Even though their clothing is labeled “Ungendered”, it is baggy and made up of only basics. Most of the clothing is pieces that traditionally are labeled as “Masculine”, but there is no traditionally “Feminine” clothing to be found. This reinforces the idea that its ok for girls to wear boy clothes, but not the other way around.

“Zara still has to up their game.”

Still, this is promising, and with time we may even reach an era where all clothing is labeled “Ungendered” or “Universal”. Till then we can enjoy these little wins and push for more change in the future.

– @youramandajoy

Link to Zara's Ungendered Line
http://www.zara.com/us/en/trf/ungendered-c816001.html#product=3370025&viewMode=two